When Chivas USA midfielder Bryan de la Fuente was told there was a possible opportunity to reclaim a spot among the First Team after a year away from the club, the 21-year-old said he engrained it his head that he wanted to be a starter and become an important part of the team. Since re-signing with the Red-and-White in August, the former Academy product has started in all six games and tallied his second goal Saturday night to help secure the home tie against Western Conference foe the Portland Timbers at 1-1.

With the win, the Rojiblancos have now taken points in six out of their last seven games at the StubHub Center, including three wins and three draws while looking to close out the final third of the campaign in strong form. De la Fuente and the Goats came out from the opening whistle moving numbers forward and looking to get out on the front foot. And in the 23rd minute, they broke the scoreless match when left back Carlos Borja worked the ball in the attacking third down the left seam and played a cross to De la Fuente near penalty spot, where he headed the pass just inside the right post toward the upper right corner of the net.

The Timbers would go on to equalize the match early in the second half, but De la Fuente continued to solidify his position at the left wing spot. Saturday’s lineup featured five midfielders and a striker up top, which opened the opportunity for attackers such as De la Fuente to push forward and get into the box behind forward Erick Torres.

“Since game one where I scored the first one and every time you play 90 minutes or you’re starting it gives you more confidence,” De la Fuente said after the match. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop working hard. That means I have to keep working hard to score more goals and do better things.

“I’m happy for the goal. It’s something that every player wants to do. I’m happy that first I’m doing something for the team and then for myself. Unfortunately we got a tie. The team played good. We’re kind of disappointed but at the same time the team worked hard for the result.”

The Texas native, who moved to Southern California as a teen after a stint in Chivas Guadalajara’s youth system, says he is committed to Chivas USA as part of the squad’s nucleus of young talent that has gradually begun to gel and produce results under the tutelage of Head Coach Jose Luis Real.

De la Fuente was willing to do anything to show that he wanted to once again be part of the club that gave him his debut in Major League Soccer in 2010. The attacker was recently part of Chivas’ newly-formed U-23 team that went unbeaten in the League’s inaugural season and crowned state champs in August, which only further solidified his desire to ascend to the First Team and play a vital role in turning things around. Saturday’s draw against a Portland side that is in the playoff hunt is yet another step in the right direction for the Rebaño Angelino.

“It shows that we have gotten better,” he added. “Even if we don’t make the playoffs it shows that we’re not far from [Portland]. If people look at us we’re not the Chivas that everyone thinks. We’re the Chivas that competes for 90 minutes and gets results now. It shows how the team is now, how the team got better little by little. The games that are left we’re going to try to win them and show that it’s not the same Chivas.”